“No, Mom. I do just fine.”
It wasn’t a lie. The cut that Brie took was small enough to allow me to make a decent living.
“Here,” I handed over the gift. “I got you something.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
She tore open the wrapping paper, pulling out a white box. Inside, nestled among tissue paper, was an elephant figurine. She’d collected them for as long as I could remember, always looking for unique designs. This one was opulent with a headdress covered in Swarovski crystals and gems.
“Oh, Blade. It’s beautiful.”
There was a moment in which I allowed myself to feel good about my gift as she handled it carefully, looking over the ornate design, but it was ruined by my father.
“Looks a little expensive for you,” he commented drily.
Asshole.
The shop keepers had treated me like that when I bought the thing, too. Looking at me with raised eyebrows and uninterested glances. Granted, I was dressed in my usual black jeans and white t-shirt, with my tattoos on full display and a helmet in one hand. So, I didn’t look like I belonged in a shop full of delicate and expensive collectibles.
It still pissed me off, though.
“You don’t know shit about my finances,” I spat. His eyes darkened, and out of the corner of my eye, I registered the disappointment on my mother’s face. I hated myself for being a part of the problem, but I couldn’t bite back my anger now.
“I knowyou,” he countered. “Your lack of discipline and irresponsibility are common knowledge, so you’ll forgive me if I question your ability to buy something like this.”
“No, actually, I won’t.”
I stood, taking a moment to remove my damn tie while both of my parents watched. I tossed it down on the table, glad to be rid of it.
“Sorry, mom. I gotta go.” I didn’t bother making up an excuse. We all knew what was going on here. “I’m glad you like the gift. And dad, if I’m such a fuck-up, I guess you better cover the cost of my dinner.”
I left the restaurant with anger battling guilt for dominance. This kind of thing was the reason that I was eager to join the Outlaw Souls. I’d seen firsthand the way that they treat each other like family, and I wanted that. My mom was great, but the friction between my dad and me made it hard to be close to her. Alex was the closest family I had these days, but he didn’t even live in La Playa.
I knew that things would be different if Mark was still alive. My big brother had been the perfect child that my dad wanted. He was smart as a whip and willing to fall in line. When he died, he’d already signed up for the Army.
I wasn’t Mark, and I never would be. Sometimes, I thought that my father’s real problem was that he just couldn’t forgive me for that.
Nine
Kat
There was something different about Blade at work today. He was more reserved than I’d ever seen him. There were no teasing flirtations. I didn’t know him well, and it might not even mean anything, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was bothering him.
I took several customers in the morning and spent most of the afternoon finishing the full sleeve I’d started yesterday, so I had plenty to do to keep myself busy. But I had this awareness of Blade the whole time. It was like there was a connection between us that was impossible to ignore.
“What’s up with you today?” I asked when the shop closed and we were getting ready to leave. Piper had a date, so she’d hurried through the cleanup and took off right away.
“What do you mean?” His tone was just a littletoononchalant to be believable.
“You’re…” I searched to find a word, “broody.”
“Am not.”
“Whatever,” I said, turning away from him. For some reason, his denial frustrated me. “I don’t care, anyway.”
I started to leave, making it to the curtain that separated the front and back of the shop before I felt a strong grip on my arm, making me stop.
“I think you do care,” Blade said, his voice a low rumble in my ear.
